Heel-fastener for boots or shoes



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

V J. L. JOYCE.

- HEEL -FASTENER FOR BOOTS OR SHOES. No. 366,844. Patented July 19, 1887.

IIIIIIII IIIIII V//IA (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. L. J OYGE.-

HEEL PASTENER FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

No. 3663344. Patented July 19, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

JOSEPH L. JOYCE, OF NEXV HAVEN, OONNECTICUT.

HEEL-FASTENER FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION orming part of Letters Patent No. 366344, dated duly 19, 1887.

A pplicalion filed February 21, 1887. Serial No. &29,310

TO all whom; 'b m a/y concern:

Be it known that I, JosErH L. JOYCE, of New Haven, in the eonnty of New Haven and State of Oonnecticnt, have invented a new Iniprovenent in Boot or Shoe Heel Fasteners; and I do hereby dcelare the following, when taken in connection with aecompanying drawings and the letters of reference narked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact (leseription of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this speeification, and represent, 111- Figure l, a perspective view ofa heel as prepa red -to be Secured; Fig. 2, the same heel having the fasteners driven through, showing the flange and spurs upon the outside; Fig. 3, a perspeetive View of the fastener detaehed; Fig. 4, a vertical section of the heel, showing the fasteners as introdnced. Fig. 5 shows the same heel with the fasteners turned down to l'orn the fiange upon the inside of the heel and with the cap applied upon the spurs on the outside; Fig. 6, the fastcners as applied to secure the solid heel; Fig. 7, a perspeetive View of the fastener, showing the spurs reversed ironi that seen in Fig. 3; Figs. S, 9,10, 11,12, 13, modifications in the t'ornatiou of the fastener.

This invention relates to an improvement in the attachment of heels to boots or shoes, the object being to dispense with the nsual nailing, and yet secure the heel to the boot or shoe more strongly than can be (lone by nails.

The device is capable of various modifications to produce the same result. I will first describe probably the best constretion for that class of heeis in which the last lift is put on as a cap or finish to the heel, and so that the fastening devices shall not appear upon the face of the heel. In this case the fastening devices consist of a plate cut from sheetsteel or other suitable metal. This plate is in width less than the length of theheel, in depth considerably greater than the depth of the heel. At one end the plate A (see Fig. 3) is eonstructed with several points, a, more or less in number, these points being produced by cutting deep notehes in the end ot' the plate, but preferably so as to leave the plate solid below the notehes to a depth eonsiderably less than the thiekness of the heel. At the lower end the plate is bent at right angles to form a (No model.)

fiange, B. In this case the plate is flat. The edge of the flange is enrved corresponding to the curvature of the side of the heel, and around the edge of the flange is a series ofprojeeting spurs, b, less in depth than the thickness of the cap to be applied to finish theheel. This fastener may be produced by niaehinery, enploying suitable dies for the purpose.

In the heel C, Fig. 1, to which the fastener is to be applied, preferably two slots, d c, are cut, beginning near the rear of the heel and diverging forward. These slots should extend inward froni the outside of the heel at least as far as the solid portion ol' the body A, and piereed beyond for the points a to pass through. The heel O is laid upon the sole D of the boot, as seen in Fig. 4. Then the points a are intro dueed through the slots d and driven through the heel, until the flange B eones flush upon its outer surface. At this tine the points a eXtend through the sole, as seen in Fig. 4. The spurs I project beyond the surface of the heel, but to a less extent than the thiekness of the cap which is to be applied. The points a are now closed down hard upon the inside of the sole, as seen in Fig. 5, so that the heel is elanped to the sole between the flange B and the turneddown points a. One such fastener is driven through each of the two slots in the heel. As before described, the eurve of the tlange B should correspond to the outline of the heel, as seen in Fig. 2. After the fastenings have thus been applied to secure the heel proper to the sole, the finishingcap E is applied and driven onto the spurs bin the usual inanner of driving the cap onto the pointed heads of nails, the spurs not being ol' suleient length to extend through to the outside; and, as seen in Fig. 5, the spurs serve to hold the cap in like manner as do the pointed heads ot' nails in the usnal construetion of heel-nails.

Owing to the fact that the plate which se cures the heel is of so great extent, and conipletely elanps the heel upon the sole, the ae cidental separation of the heel from the sole is impossible.

I have represented the heel as nade froni lfts; but it niay be a solid heel, as seen in Fig. 6, having slits through it to receive the fasteners, as before described, this fastener being adapted to all eonstruetions of heel. The slits through the heel to receive the fasteners IOO are readily made by a tool prepared for the purpose. p

In some cases it may be desrable to leave the fiange B eXposed upon the surface of the heel as a protection against the wear of the heel. In such cases I find it advantageous to -turn the spurs b in the opposite direction,

Side and the` ou-ter end of the fastener turned 4 down upon theoutside of the heel, as seen in Fig. 9, so as to seeurely clanp theheel and sole between the outer and inner flanges.

Where the fastener is to be driven from the outside inward, itis desirable, if not necessary, to divide the inner end ot' the fastener in the form of teeth; but these need not of necessi ty be points, as heretofore described. The body of the plate may be simplydivided, as seen in "Fig. 10, so that the divisions may be readily turned down into the curved surface of the inside of the sole at the heel.

The fastener may be strengthened by vertical corrugations running from the body onto the points, as seen in Fig. 11, which will give greater firmness to the points in driving.

I Thepoints a a, instead of starting from the body above the fiange, may continue down to the fiange, as indicated by broken lines, Fig. 7.

It will be evident that the fastener may be of any desirable extent, and so that but one fastener Will' be required for a single heel; but they may be made of less extent, say as seen in Fig. 12, which rep resents the fastener as com posed of a short body with a single point, and the flange with asingle spur, and so that several such fasteners driven into the heeliu like manner as I have described for driving the extended fastener will amply secure the heel; or the fastener may be made of so great eXtent as to ernbrace the entire heel. This is done by eutting a blank, as seen in Fig. 13, sonewhat less in size than the size of the heel, and cutting tongues a a through the plate of sufiieient length to extend through the heel, and With spurs b upon its outer edge. These tongues are turned downward, as shown, and the Spurs upward, so that the tongues Will be driven through the heel, the edge or fiangeB lie upon the surface of the heel, and the points turned down upon the inside to clamp the heel, as before described, while the points b will pel-mit of the application of the cap.

The fasteners are produced as an article of manut'acture and in sizes correspondng to the various sizes of heels to be secured.

- From the foregoing it will be understood that I'do not desire to limit my invention to any preciseshape, it only being essential that the fastener shall present a tlange with spurs at its edge upon the outside of the heel, with' projections therefrom through the heel and through the inner sole, to be turned down upon the inside of the sole and form substantially a fiange upon the inside, while the fiange Will rest upon the outside, and so that the turned-down point and fiange will clamp the heel to the boot or shoe.

I clai'm e 1. A boot or shoe heel fastener consisting of the' body A, terminating at one end in one or more points to pass through the heel, and with a fiange, B, at the opposite end, turned at substantially right angles to the body, the said 'liange constructed With one or more Spurs, b, upon its edges, substantially as described.

2. A. fastener for boot-heels, made from sheet metal and consisting of a body termi-L nating at one end in one or more points adapted to pass through the heel, and at the other end with a tlange, B, turned at right angles thereto, the said points corrugated verg tically, substantially as described. I i Jos. L. JOYCE.

NVitnesses: JOHN E. EARLE, FRED 0. EARLE. 

